Seven Sisters Quilt Show

Last weekend was our Seven Sisters Quilt Show.  I'm involved in the planning so I spent all of two days there, plus some computer work on the night in between.  I just finished all my thank you letters and got them in the mail along with two raffle prizes that had to be shipped.

My quilts did well in both styles of judging.  We have formal judging done by an outside judge.  Two of my quilts took top honors in the Miscellanous category.

Sponsored Awards are given by groups and/or individuals who establish the category and amount of award.  It is not formal judging, but rather a quilt (or garment) the judge feels best exhibits the parameters for the award.  My award was the Suzanne McDermott Memorial Machine Embroidery Award.  Since I knew Suzanne well, I was excited to get the first award in her memory.  I feel like she's looking down and saying "Good for you!"  Not so much that I got the award, but that I perservered and finished the project.

"Nine Fabrics, Nine Blocks" was awarded 1st place
and received one of the sponsored awards.

"Snow Blind" received Honorable Mention.
I found out later only two awards were given
in this category.  My 1st and HM.

You can't see much in the photo above, but here's a close up of "Snow Blind"

"Yes, It's a Panel" was not judged but I got a lot
of comments from atendees about this one.

Next year's show will be June 24 & 25, 2017.  Plan to attend!

Thanks for checking in.

Gwen Marston workshop

I had the opportunity to take a three-day workshop with Gwen Marston.  Liberated quiltmaking is not my style, but I couldn't pass up this experience.  Gwen is delightful and so open to sharing.  I've always felt like a fraud when it came to art quilting, but she gave me encouragement to just "do it".  I'm excited about my end result.

30 x 33 inches
I'll quilt with straight lines and heavy thread.
The "drip" at the top was not planned.  Nice!

 Thanks for checking in.

Retreat weekend

I usually go to the mountains during Memorial Day weekend, but since I had just seen all the family the weekend before at a wedding, I elected to stay home.  Well, not really home as I spent two days sewing with friends in Cambria.  My goal was to get the blocks together for the BOM from BJ's Quilt Basket, Bend,Oregon.

This is the inside.  I included the triangles at the top to show
how it fits in the applique border.  I would like the quilt to
fit a queen bed, so I'll need another border.  I'm going to try
and find a pieced border that looks good with the inside.  I don't
want to just add fabric to the outside, but we'll see.

Just some of the blocks.  I do machine applique.
I struggle with the quilting design when each block is different.
I can't do in the ditch because some of the seams are pressed open.

I have to repeat this section 8 times.  There will be flowers at the end of the stems.
The pattern has the vine coming out of the triangle and ending near the corner.
I've decided to make the vine continuous around the quilt.  The stems are hanging
because I can't sew them down until it's attached to the quilt.  It's easier to do
the machine applique on a small piece rather than a 70' square piece.

Once again, thanks for checking in.

Two finishes

Over the past few weeks I've finished two quilts.  Yea!!  One of them is a challenge quilt for two different groups - not due until July and December . .  . and I'm finished in MAY!

Actually, both quilts are for challenges.

The first challenge was 9 Fabrics, 9 Blocks.  You had to use exactly 9 fabrics and make exactly 9 blocks.  The setting of the blocks was your design decision.  Even the binding had to be one of the 9 fabrics.

Here's mine.

The pattern is "Isabel" by Fabric Confetti.  It's machine embroidery applique.
This is the first time I've done this type of applique for a quilt. In various
workshops I've done some little items:  Monogram a bag, etc.

The background is two different grays so I could make my 9 fabrics.

The pattern called for fabric here, but I chose to leave it off. I eliminated some of
the stitching.  I didn't need placement lines and omitted the close stitching around
the exterior of each piece. I still did all the machine quilting on my domestic machine.

The second finish is for two different challenges.  One of my friendship groups selects a "challenge" for the year.  I wanted to do state patterns (NY Beauty, Road to CA, Lone Star, etc.) but was outvoted.  We selected Stack 'n Whack - Kaleidoscope.  The next month our guild challenge was announced:  Use a book from the guild library for inspiration or make a quilt from the book.  You know where this is going - we have the Stack 'n Whack book!  One quilt, two challenges!!

I showed a close up of some of the kaleidoscopes in an earlier post.

There are "twirls" in each block and you can see the lines in the background.

Thanks for checking in.

Challenge top complete

I belong to a friendship group that usually meets (formally) only twice a year.  In December we set a group challenge for the year.  We usually meet up during the summer just to check in with each other.  This year's challenge was to do a "stack and whack" quilt.  It wasn't my first choice, but of course I'll go along with the group.  

The next month my guild announced their challenge for 2016.  Take any book from the guild library and make one of the quilts or use the book for inspiration.  Do you see where this is going?  Yes!  The guild has the Stack-n-Whack" book by Bethany Reynolds.  

One quilt = two challenges . . . . again.  I was able to do this once before with paint chip colors and Dresden plate design.

I can't show the entire top, but here are some teaser shots.  Since the guild challenge is due in July I know I will have the quilt ready for Material Girls in December.

The piecing was difficult due the the angle of the seams coming together, but I was determined to make them match.  It was a lot of sew, rip, sew, rip, sew, repeat.  I made this my slow quilting project.

Another plus.  I made the kaleidoscopes using a fabric from my stash!

Thanks for checking in.

Quilting for a friend

I've been busy! . . . . just not all quilt related.  Over the past few weeks I've had fun with family and friends coming to visit.  They just all happened to come one right after the other.  I always enjoy the time they're here because they're great guests.  We have meals together then they go off and enjoy their day while I do what I want at home.

I begged a friend to let me quilt a quilt for her.  She usually sends her quilts out, but when I saw this top I asked if she'd trust me with it.  It just begged for custom quilting and feathers!  It was good practice for me to quilt for someone else.  I had to work on it to get it done!  I'm always amazed at the concept that things get done when you actually work on them.  The hardest part is getting started.

Fun with feathers.

Back of quilt was a wide batik.  The bottom is the
outside border.  Piano key design in the middle border.

The back could almost be a whole cloth.

I did the fill lines free-motion.  No marking.

 I'm also working on my guild challenge.  The binding is almost complete, just need a label.  Labels are easy now that my 10-needle embroidery machine is always up.  I usually just select a thread color already loaded then let it stitch out.  Expensive toy, but I'm having fun with it.

I'm finding mindless audio books keep me in the studio.  Sometimes I have to back it up, but I can work and "read" at the same time.

Thanks for checking in.

Victoria Findlay Wolfe - Empty Spools Seminar

I'm not sure where I've been but I notice I haven't posted for over a month.  Hmmmm.....

I just returned from a 5-day workshop with Victoria Findlay Wolfe at Empty Spools Seminar.  Victoria is an amazing teacher with wonderful and exciting ideas.  The workshop concentrated on Double Wedding Ring, but she inspires you to look beyond the basics.  She would get ideas while talking to us and then show us how to incorporate them into our "blocks".  If you get a chance to take a workshop or even attend a lecture with Victoria, don't miss it!

This is my first quilt made during the workshop.  I had to work
to keep it from being symmetrical!!

Victoria making comments/suggestions on my second quilt. Notice:  It's
too big to fit on the design wall AND the pieces kept falling off.

When I got home I could put up the entire quilt so I could see what I really had.
I can now see places to make changes based on suggestions the final day.

I have to put these quilts on hold for a while.  I have some deadline quilts I need to get finished.


Thanks for checking in.